4 Embarrassing Business Buzzwords You Should Never Use

The latest jargon is truly terrible.

Don't let anyone catch you using these trendy buzzwords and phrases--at least, not if you want to be respected at work.

Accidental collaboration / • noun

When "free-range" employees with unassigned workspaces have serendipitous interactions: "You see people around talking about, 'Hey, what do you see in the market?' and it spawns some new ideas." That's right, folks: They've invented the water cooler.

Source: NBC Dallas-Fort Worth

Plastiglomerate / • noun

A "multi-composite material made hard by agglutination of rock and molten plastic." Or: how capitalism is literally embedding our pollution into the foundations of the planet. Let's celebrate this achievement with commemorative key chains, Frisbees, and fidget spinners.

Source: GSA Today

Sadopopulism / • noun

"Promise people things, but then when you get power ... you deliberately make the suffering worse for your critical constituency." Wait. Is this political, or is it iTunes?

Source: Timothy Snyder, The Road to Unfreedom

Cyberloafing / • noun

Think personal internet use on company time is "counterproductive work behavior"? Think again! "Cyberloafing" indicates employee "underload"; surfing the web "helps employees cope with workplace boredom." Hmmm. Maybe the real word to swat here is underload.

Source: Computers in Human Behavior

From the October 2018 issue of Inc. Magazine

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.